Paul Gebhardt

Biography

Paul, 60, was born and raised on a family farm in central Minnesota. He has raised and taken care of animals his whole life. Paul has been a carpenter and a contractor since he was 18 years old and is currently a general contractor in Kasilof, Alaska. He moved here from Minnesota in 1989, began mushing in 1992 and ran his first Iditarod in 1996 with dogs he bred up in his own kennel. He has been breeding and raising his own dogs ever since. He has placed as high as second in the Iditarod twice. “I am still looking for my first Iditarod championship. I believe in the ability of my dogs and myself and will continue to race Iditarod as long as I feel we are capable of winning the race. I love traveling with my animals and find them to be more loyal than any human could ever be! They love me without questions and in return, I love them back the same way! I would never ask them to do more than they are capable of and I will always take the best care of them that I’m capable of. I will push them to the limit as long as they are able and having a good time doing it.” Paul has two adult daughters and one adult son, Kristi, Nikka and Paul Jr. He says he enjoys hunting, gardening and raising birds.